BLIAIN NUA FAOI MHAISE: We offer our good wishes for 2023 to all officers, players, mentors, workers, parents, supporters and followers of The Rock. Go raibh bliain iontach ag gach éinne agus go raibh ádh mór ar fhoirne na Carraige ar fhóid ghlasa na himeartha i 2023! Good success to The Rock!
SPIORAD na NOLLAG: A very exciting event took place in Connolly Park on Tuesday last and it was well attended by many faithful Rockites. All had great fun at the Club Christmas Tournament. Players, past and present, young and not-so-young, fit and not-so-fit, talented and not-that-talented, really enjoyed our mixed 11-a-side games. It was an afternoon of fun, frolics, comhluadar, chat, craic agus ceol! ‘Well done’ to Ricky Moloney and his team.
CLUB AGM (JUNIOR): The club’s juvenile section AGM will take place in Páirc Uí Chonghaile clubhouse on Monday 9th January at 7.15pm. Everybody welcome and we extend a special welcome to the parents/guardians of our young players.
SCÓR na nÓG: Wouldn’t it be nice to be part of Scór na nÓg ’23? Items: solo singing (I bet a ‘fiver’ that a good singer exists somewhere in The Rock!), a five-person (boys or girls) ballad group, a five-person grúpa ceoil, a four-person table quiz team, a figure dance, a set dance, a recitation/dán/scéal. Have a go! A great opportunity for future top-class performers….singers, quiz buffs, actors, musicians or dancers!
COLÁISTÍ….ROCK PLAYERS IN COLLEGE GAMES: (i) The Mercy Mounthawk U19 senior boys will take on Clonakilty Community College in the quarter-final of comórtas Chorn Uí Mhuirí in January. All Tralee GAA followers wish them every success in this very important encounter! Is foireann mhaith í foireann Chnoc an tSeabhaic! The Rock boys on the Mounthawk panel: Michael Tansley, Jack Murphy, Ben Murphy, Daniel Kirby, Cillian Litchfield, Paddy Lane, Noah Townsend, Liam Carmody.
(ii) The Tralee CBS v Clonakilty Community College game in the Munster Colleges Senior Football (Corn Uí Mhuirí – Faoi 19) competition was played i mBaile Mhúirne on 20th. Our Tralee boys exited the Corn Uí Mhuirí competition after an exciting and closely contested game on a scoreline of 0-13 to 2-9. (Cúil a bhuann cluichí!) Chaill An Fhaiche le dhá chúilín shuaracha….’twas a late ‘Séamus Darby’ type goal that did the damage to our lads who seemed to be on their way to the next round. We offer our sympathies to a great group of players and to their comhbhainisteoir, Tim McMahon. Austin Stack Club players on the team: Colm Browne, Enda Cahill, Josh Lynch, Thomas Derege, Seán Moynihan and Damien Hogan. Tim McMahon was joint manager of the team. Tralee aficionados can now give their full support to the Mercy Mounthawk team that will play Clonakilty in the quarter-final in the New Year.
(iii) Good luck to the Tralee CBS (Faoi 19) boys who are keeping themselves fit over the school holidays and who will face Coláiste Bhréanainn (arís eile!) in the final of the Dunloe Cup (Kerry colleges) competition. The date, time and venue have yet to be decided. The Green team had a good semi-final victory over Coláiste Naomh Mícheál, Lios Tuathail, just before Christmas. Our good wishes to Colm de Brún, Éanna Ó Cathail, Ryan Ó Drisceoil, Rónán Ó Cearúil, Josh Ó Loingsigh, Damien Ó hÓgáin, Tomás Derege, Seán Ó Muimhneacháin and Donnacha Mac an tSaoir in their preparations.
(iv) Good wishes to the Gaelcholáiste boys in their upcoming encounter v Coláiste Éamann Rís. Among the Gaelcholáiste players are our own Ruairí Ó Loingsigh and Gavin Ó Cathasaigh. Athbhliain faoi shéan is faoi mhaise dár léitheoirí dílse agus dár lucht leanúna díograiseach!
CLUB LOTTO: Thanks to all who continually support and promote our club lotto: (i) Ollmhargadh de Barra, Upper Rock Street, (ii) Paudie Commane’s Bookshop, Rock Street, (iii) The Burger Shack, Monavalley, (iv) O’Flynn Interiors (Malachy Nagle), Lower Rock Street, (v) Brogue Inn Uí Chiarba, Lower Rock Street, (vi) Deli Uí hEosa, Prince’s Quay, (vii) Carmel Uí Néill and others, (viii) Maguires’ Butcher Shop, Caherslee, (ix) www.austinstacks.ie (x) and/or on https://play.clubforce.com/play_newa.asp?ll_id=X529#Anchor
CLUB AGM (SENIOR): The club’s AGM (senior) will take place on Sunday 15th January at 1pm in Connolly Park. Fáilte roimh chách. Nominations for positions and motions for discussion should be emailed to the secretary before 5pm on Thursday next (5th January). Is maith an aire an fhógairt (forewarned is forearmed)!
SIOPA AN CHLUB: (i) Our Club shop is open seacht lá na seachtaine. The latest official Austin Stack Club merchandise is only available to order on this link (free delivery on any orders over €50). Téigh go www.oneills.com
‘RAIBH ‘FHIOS AGAT? It is generally accepted that the 1st illustrated coaching manual on ‘How to Play Gaelic Football’ was written by Dick Fitzgerald. He was born in Killarney around the time of the founding of the GAA and went to his heavenly reward in 1930. He penned his ‘masterpiece’ while still in the process of winning five All-Ireland football medals….1903, ’04, ’09, ’13, ’14. The 1916 fight for Irish freedom interrupted his playing career and ‘for his sins’ against The Empire, he spent time in Frongoch Prison Camp in ‘Little Britain’ (An Bhreatain Bheag/Wales). He was also an excellent intercounty coach and referee. The book includes photographs of Dick demonstrating various skills of the great game! It was the only published book on Gaelic games until 1958. For more on Dick’s life why not borrow Fr Tom Looney’s book ‘Dick Fitzgerald: King in a Kingdom of Kings’ from the library! And, of course, we all know where his stadium is! (Another Kerryman wrote and published the next football coaching book…‘The Art and Science of Gaelic Football’…Dr Éamonn O’Sullivan).